Most landlords and employers today require at least a criminal record search. This is usually the bare minimum when it comes to a background check. They can be much more in depth if they decide to do so. A criminal record search will show felonies and misdemeanors occurring as far back as the 70's. The information released to the public varies from state to state. No two states are the same as far as the information they release to the public. This information is decided on by the legislature of each state. Some states choose to release only individuals that have been in prison in their state. Other states will release lots of information from traffic violations to felony convictions. It just depends most of the time when you go to order a criminal record search there will be tab to click on to inform you what the state you are searching releases before you run the report. The same is true for nationwide criminal record searches they will tell you what will be released for all states before you run the report. In some cases there may not be enough information released by the stales for your needs.
